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Hazem El Masri

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Hazem El Masri
Personal information
Born(1976-04-01)1 April 1976(age 48)
Tripoli, Lebanon
Playing information
Height178 cm (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Weight90 kg (14 st 2 lb)[1][2]
PositionWing,Fullback
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1996–09 Canterbury Bulldogs 317 159 891 0 2418
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1999–03 Lebanon 8 12 44 0 136
2001–07 City NSW 5 1 14 0 32
2002 Australia 1 0 4 0 8
2007 New South Wales 1 1 3 0 10
Source:[3]

Hazem El Masri(Arabic:حازم المصري;born 1 April 1976) is aLebanese Australianformer professionalrugby leaguefootballer who played as awingerin the 1990s and 2000s. An international representative forAustraliaandLebanon,and a New South WalesState of Originrepresentative goal-kickingwing,he played his entire club football career in Sydney withCanterbury-Bankstownwith whom he won the2004 NRL Premiership.In 2009 (his final season in the NRL) El Masri took the record for the highest-ever point scorer in premiership history and for a record sixth time was the NRL's top point scorer for the season. He also became only the seventh player in history to score over 150 NRL tries, having primarily played on the wing, but also atfullback.

El Masri is a self-identified devoutMuslim.[4]He is widely respected for his community work with young people, winning theNRL'sKen Stephen Award in 2002. The award recognises players who contribute to the betterment of their community away from rugby league.[5]

El Masri, widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkickers ever seen on a rugby league field, scored the second most points (2,418) by any player in NRL history.[6]

Background[edit]

El Masri was born inTripoli, Lebanonon 1 April 1976 to ethnicLebaneseparents, Khaled and Amal.[7]He emigrated to Australia with his family from there in 1988 when he was 11 years old.[4]He began playing soccer at an early age but during his senior years in high school switched torugby league,joining a local club, theEnfieldFederals. While playing for Belmore Boys High School in 1994, El Masri was spotted byCanterbury-Bankstown Bulldogsdevelopment officers and was invited to trials for theirJersey Fleggside. The following year he was elevated to the President's Cup squad.

Playing career[edit]

1990s[edit]

El Masri debuted in theSydney Bulldogs' first grade team during the1996 ARL season.Initially, El Masri was not the first choice goal-kicker at the Bulldogs over the more renown kickerDaryl Halligan.It was not until Halligan was injured in 1997 that El Masri first kicked for the club. In that year'sSuper League season,El Masri scored a memorable hat-trick against English clubHalifax.[8]

El Masri had become a regular member of the Canterbury-Bankstown squad by the1998 NRL season.Although his side reached the1998 NRL Grand Final,he did not play in Canterbury's defeat by the Broncos.

In 1999, El Masri made his debut forLebanonin a Mediterranean Cup game againstMorocco.In this match he scored a total of 48 points, the highest number of points ever scored by one player in an international match.[citation needed]

2000s[edit]

TheLebanon nation sidequalified for their first everWorld Cup in 2000,with El Masri as captain. He played in all three of Lebanon's World Cup games, beginning with Lebanon's first ever World Cup Match against New Zealand, which they lost 64–0. El Masri scored three tries and kicked six goals in their next two games, a 24–22 defeat to Wales and a 22–22 draw against the Cook Islands. Lebanon finished the group stage on one point and did not advance. His brother,Samer El Masri,also played for Lebanon during the tournament. In 2001, El Masri debuted for theCity New South Walesside in the first of five appearances.

In 2002, El Masri topped the League's point-scoring table for the first time and rejected a $2 million offer from theSouth Sydney Rabbitohs,opting to stay with the Bulldogs.[9]In 2002, he played for theAustralian teamagainstNew Zealand.El Masri set a new record for most goals scored by a Bulldogs player in a single match with 11 against theSouth Sydney Rabbitohsin Round 21,2003.

El Masri playing for the Bulldogs in 2004.

El Masri broke theNational Rugby Leaguepoint scoring record for a single season with 342 points (16 tries and 139 goals) in the2004 season.[10]He then played for Canterbury on the wing[2]in their2004 NRL grand finalvictory over cross-city rivals theSydney Roosters,scoring a try and kicking two goals. As 2004 NRL premiers, theCanterbury-Bankstown BulldogsfacedSuper League IXchampions,Leeds,in the2005 World Club Challenge.El Masri played on the wing, scoring two tries and kicking four goals in the Bulldogs' 32–39 loss.

El Masri set the Canterbury-Bankstown club's career points record, surpassing Daryl Halligan during the2005 NRL season.

In2006,El Masri broke another two club records: the most points scored for a single game (34 points, round 2 against theWests Tigers) and the most first grade tries for Canterbury (123, Round 13 against theNewcastle Knights). He also kicked his 600th goal during that match.[11]

El Masri broke the 1,900-point record after scoring 14 points inRound 8of the2007 NRL seasonagainst theNewcastle Knights,defeating them 30–16 and becoming the sixth player to ever surpass that point, along withGraham Eadie,Mick Cronin,Daryl Halligan,Jason TaylorandAndrew Johns.El Masri was called up toGame 3of the2007 State of Origin seriesto make his debut for New South Wales afterJamie Lyonwas ruled out through injury.[12]He kicked three conversions from the sideline, and scored the final try, giving him 10 points in total. Also in 2007,Bill Woodspublished an authorised biography,El Magic: the life of Hazem El Masri.

El Masri in 2009

El Masri broke the all-time highest NRL career point scoring record in front of a crowd of 19,791 against theManly-Warringah Sea Eaglesin round 1, 2009, with a penalty goal on a rainy Saturday night, giving him 2,208 points. On 15 May 2009, El Masri played his 300th game in the Bulldogs 20–18 defeat by the Dragons at Win Jubilee Stadium. He was the first Canterbury play to reach the milestone. He joined the exclusive '300' club behind,Darren Lockyer(355),Terry Lamb(349),Steve Menzies(349),Brad Fittler(336),Cliff Lyons(332),Andrew Ettingshausen(328),Geoff Gerard(320),Jason Croker(318),Paul Langmack(315),Ruben Wiki(312),Steve Price(306),Luke Ricketson(301) and Petero Civoniceva (300). In June 2009, El Masri announced that he would retire from the NRL at the end of the 2009 season.[10]He played his 317th and final game on 25 September 2009 against theParramatta Eelsin the preliminary final in front of a crowd of 74,549 people, the largest finals crowd ever recorded for a non-grand final. Lebanon Cedars' coachJohn Eliasapproached El Masri to play a one-offEuropean Cuptie forLebanonagainstRussiainTripoliin October 2009.[13]El Masri considered accepting this invitation but found himself unable to do so.[14][15]

El Masri set the NRL career point-scoring record of 2,418[16][self-published source]points across 317 games, with 159 tries and 891 goals in 1087 attempts at 81.97%.

Post-playing[edit]

After his retirement, El Masri made an appearance, kicking a goal, in the opening ceremony of Melbourne's newAAMI Parkbefore the2010 ANZAC Test.[17]El Masri was approached to stand as theLiberalcandidate for theseat of Lakembaat the2011 state election.[18]

Personal life[edit]

In 2000, El Masri married aSaudi Arabian-bornPalestinianwoman, Arwa Abousamra. They have three children.[citation needed]

El Masri is a devoutMuslim.[19]He was one of the first Lebanese Australians to step forward in the name of friendship and understanding in the wake of the2005 Cronulla riotsafter the clash between predominantly white Cronulla locals and Middle-Eastern Western Sydney beachgoers resulted in violence and increased racial tensions between the groups.[20]

El Masri and his wife split in early 2014.[21]He subsequently remarried. He was aWhite Ribbon Dayambassador. In October 2015, he was charged byNew South Wales Policewith assaulting his second wife,[22]although the charge was dropped in 2016 based on a recording he had of the incident.[23]In 2017, it was reported he and his first wife, Arwa had remarried.[24]

References[edit]

  • Woods, Bill (2007).El Magic: The Life of Hazem El Masri.Pymble, N.S.W: HarperCollins Publishers Australia.ISBN978-0-7322-8402-2.

Footnotes[edit]

  1. ^ab"Hazem El Masri".thebulldogs.com.au.Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2014.Retrieved6 July2014.
  2. ^abAAP (1 October 2004)."Grand Final pen pics".One News.TVNZ.Retrieved6 July2014.
  3. ^Rugby League Project
  4. ^abMcDonald, Margie (1 July 2009)."Hazem El Masri's points tally a godsend".The Australian.Archived fromthe originalon 15 December 2012.Retrieved29 August2009.
  5. ^Unknown, Western Sydney University -."Hazem El Masri, former professional Rugby League player with the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs".www.uws.edu.au.Retrieved28 April2016.
  6. ^"'It's the toughest thing I've been through in my life'".NewsComAu.Retrieved11 April2017.
  7. ^Hazem El MasriArchived14 March 2011 at theWayback Machineatyesterdayshero.com.au
  8. ^Hadfield, Dave (21 July 1997)."El Masri's magnificent hat-trick".The Independent.UK: Independent News and Media Limited.Retrieved24 December2009.
  9. ^Walton, Darren (24 September 2002)."Fans will wonder how Bulldogs stayed on the leash, says Piggins".Sydney Morning Herald, The.Fairfax Digital.Retrieved27 September2009.
  10. ^abWalter, Brad (30 June 2009)."Hazem El Masri announces retirement".Fairfax Digital. Archived fromthe originalon 21 September 2009.Retrieved29 August2009.
  11. ^Rleague.com – El Masri, HazemArchived12 May 2006 at theWayback Machine
  12. ^El Masri to make Origin debut – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
  13. ^Massoud, Josh (29 August 2009)."Hazem El Masri set for Lebanon farewell".The Daily Telegraph.Retrieved29 August2009.
  14. ^"Breaking News, World News and Video from al Jazeera".
  15. ^"Eels thunder into grand final".www.abc.net.au.25 September 2009.
  16. ^Kane, Stephen (2013).A Statistical History of Rugby League.Australia: Xlibris Corporation. p. 212.ISBN9781483643977.
  17. ^Read, Brent (8 May 2010)."Kangaroos shine brightest against New Zealand".The Australian.Australia: News Limited.Retrieved11 May2010.
  18. ^"El Masri wanted as Liberal candidate".22 October 2009.
  19. ^Michael Winkler (22 March 2012)."6 famously devout NRL players".Sports Fan.com.Archived fromthe originalon 24 September 2015.Retrieved24 February2015.
  20. ^Sully, Sandra;Bill Woods(2007).El Magic: The life of Hazem El Masri.Australia:HarperCollins.pp. xi.ISBN978-0-7322-8402-2.Archived fromthe originalon 6 July 2011.Retrieved3 July2009.
  21. ^"Former Canterbury Bulldog Hazem El Masri and wife split".Spotal.Archived fromthe originalon 20 June 2015.Retrieved20 June2015.
  22. ^"Former NRL star Hazem el Masri charged with domestic assault".The Guardian.20 October 2015.
  23. ^"Secret recording led to dropping of domestic violence charges against Hazem el Masri".14 March 2016.
  24. ^"Canterbury Bulldogs legend Hazem el Masri reunites with first wife Arwa".26 May 2017.

External links[edit]

Preceded by
Ivan Cleary
1998–2004
 Record-holder
Most points in anNRLseason
2004–present 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Record-holder
Most points in anNRLcareer
2009 (2,177) – 2019 (2,418) 		Succeeded by
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